All, or at least the very great majority, of current dispensing closures are molded in the open position or in two or more pieces. Closures molded open must be closed prior to capping. This extra step can be accomplished through post-mold closing equipment, or in-mold closing equipment. Either step adds cost to the process by requiring extra equipment. In addition, in-mold closing requires a longer molding cycle time and therefore a higher piece price cost.
Closures molded in the open position require twice as much tool space as closures molded in the closed position. Therefore, for a given tool size, a mold can contain twice as many cavities of molded closed closures, compared to molded open closures. This reduces the tool cost per cavity.
In addition, most molded open dispensing closures when capped onto an associated container and which require a tamper resistancy feature so as to protect against unintentional opening, use shrink wrap or a separate box to achieve this additional feature. The shrink wrap or a separate box increases the cost of manufacture of the final package in that an extra operation, separate and distinct from the molding operation in which the closure is formed, is required. And, of course, the cost of acquiring and providing equipment for a separate raw material is also required. Included in the cost of using a shrink wrap or separate box is the additional machine time necessary to apply a wrap or enclose the component within a box.
Most, if not all, conventional dispensing closures with living hinges have non-uniform peripheries due to hinge protrusions. As a consequence, the protruding hinge tends to cause interference during the assembly and handling phases of production. When the closures are fed to the capping equipment, for example, preparatory to being secured to a tube, the peripherally outwardly extending protrusions can be the cause of jam-ups in the closure feeding mechanism and consequent line down time while the jammed closures are freed and the feed line restarted. In addition, closures with protrusions are often not well adapted for inverted packaging and can be of concern with respect to consumer handling safety.
In addition, many dispensing closures are fastened to their associated package by threads. Threads require torquing type capping equipment which, on occasion, results in packages with non-oriented closures. Although such a filled tube may, from a technical standpoint, operate substantially as efficiently as one having the desired dead center alignment, as a practical matter the consumer tends to avoid purchasing such an out of alignment product, often on the assumption that there is something "wrong" with the product. In addition, torque type capping equipment is more costly than other types of capping equipment such as snap-on type capping equipment. Even the molds for screw-on type closures are more expensive than, for example, snap-on closures since screw-on molds usually require an unscrewing core or a collapsible core and, in general, are more complex and expensive than snap-on closure molds.
A further drawback with many current closures is that such closures almost invariably have a protruding tab in order to enable a user to quickly and conveniently locate the "handle" formed by the tab for easy opening and closing of the product. When a protruding tab extends outwardly beyond the outer diameter of the base of the closure, interference in the capping process and in the automatic handling of the closure can occur.
Raised orifice spouts are an advantage to the consumer because of their distance from the conventional deck of the closure. An orifice flush with the deck of the closure can be harder to clean than a raised orifice, and a raised orifice spout gives the consumer a greater angled view to the orifice than a flush orifice. Thus a dispensing closure which will accommodate raised orifices of substantial heights is a distinct advantage over a package which includes a flush orifice. In addition, a raised spout also makes possible the application of a foil "freshness" seal applied to the top of the spout. Such a seal provides a measure of tamper resistancy, as well as retaining the integrity of seal of the package and thus the freshness (moisture and oxygen barrier) of the product.
And finally, all, or nearly all, conventional closures include, as a necessary feature, a closure deck. Such a deck requires a substantial quantity of material which, since most such closures are manufactured from good quality resins, comprises a significant item of cost.